The “Course Topics” series from Manage Train Learn and Slide Topics is a collection of over 4000 slides that will help you master a wide range of management and personal development skills. The 202 PowerPoints in this series offer you a complete and in-depth study of each topic. This presentation is on "The Options in Conflict".

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
INFLUENCING AND
NEGOTIATING SKILLS
The Options in Conflict

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
The Course Topics series from Manage Train Learn is a large collection of topics that will help you as a learner
to quickly and easily master a range of skills in your everyday working life and life outside work. If you are a
trainer, they are perfect for adding to your classroom courses and online learning plans.
COURSE TOPICS FROM MTL
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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
INTRODUCTION
The essence of negotiations is conflict. Conflict manifests
itself in differences of view, differences of opinion and
differences of interest. When one party wants what another
party has; when one group fails to agree on how to divide
up shared resources; when one person does not see eye-to-
eye with another; then there is conflict. Conflict, however,
need never be the cause for unresolved dispute. If viewed in
a positive way, as a start not an end position, it holds within
itself the promise of new possibilities from which all sides
can gain. Without conflict, there is nothing to resolve and so
no negotiation; without facing up to conflict, there is no
creative tension; and without the need to resolve conflict,
there is no progress.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
THE NEGATIVE VIEW OF CONFLICT
When we perceive conflict negatively, we tend to see it as a
threat. Our knee-jerk reactions are instinctive and
emotional: to attack the reasons for the conflict or avoid
facing up to them.
These are some of the common negative reactions to
conflict...
"It's their fault, not mine..."
"If I ignore it, it might go away."
"It's best not to get involved."
"If we stick our nose in, someone will get hurt."
"We'll just argue and argue over who said what, when and
to whom."
"I can't let them win."
"Let them get on with it."

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
THE POSITIVE VIEW OF CONFLICT
When we perceive conflict positively we tend to see it as an
opportunity. Most successful advances in business occur
when two sides with different interests put their heads
together to work out a new way forward. Positive views of
conflict are rational and non-emotive.
These are some of the rational ways we might look at
conflict positively...
1. many differences can't be settled quickly, but the
differences themselves produce a valuable creative
tension
2. when two different forces come together, the result can
be more than a sum of the parts. This is the principle of
synergy.
3. when people are in disagreement this is a positive sign
that they care and want things to improve
4. those against us are still part of us: having differences is
like a family discussion.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
OPTIONS IN CONFLICT
There are always just six options in handling conflict:
1. no deal
2. I win - you lose
3. I lose - you win
4. win at all costs
5. compromise
6. win-win.
The most sensible strategy in negotiations is option 6, win-
win. This is the belief that in any negotiation it is possible for
both sides to come out having gained something of value.
Even though the compromise option is often the way
negotiations turn out, it should never be part of a game
plan.
"Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the
greatest harmony." (Heraclitus of Ephesus, 535 - 475BC)

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
NO DEAL
A no-deal outcome to a conflict means that the status quo is
confirmed and nothing changes.
No-deal is rarely a successful end to a conflict unless during
discussions it becomes clear there is no advantage for you in
continuing.
No-deal, in the sense of walkaway power, can also be used
tactically at any stage of the proceedings. To make sure you
are not disadvantaged if your bluff is called when you
threaten "No deal!" make sure you have a good second-best
BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) to fall
back on.
Tactical "no-deal" should be used right up to and including
the last stage of a negotiation.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
I WIN, YOU LOSE
The "I win you lose" approach to conflict is also known as
the World War One solution.
At the end of World War One, the victorious Allies decided
that, such were the horrors of the war, the defeated
Germans should be humiliated and never again allowed to
threaten their neighbours.
The denigrating peace terms were completely one-sided
but, as in all win-lose solutions, the losing side harboured
deep resentment.
It was only a matter of time before resentment led to a
desire for revenge and the outbreak of a further war in
1939.
When you use "win-lose" on others, you encourage them to
find ways to use "win-lose" back on you.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
THE PEACE OF CONQUEST
Whether in international relationships or personal
relationships, winning by making others lose is the quickest
route to renewed conflict.
"The peace of conquest, where the victim is still in existence
and must be dominated is, as peace, a negation: the
suffering of the conflict has ceased but the figure of
awareness is not alive with new possibilities, for nothing has
been solved. The victor is watchful, the victim resentful."
(Perls, Hefferline and Goodman, "Gestalt Therapy")

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
I LOSE, YOU WIN
The "I lose, you win" approach to conflict should never be
considered as a strategy. This is the route of appeasement, a
quiet life and letting others have their way: sooner or later
they will come back for more.
"I lose, you win" may be used as a tactical ploy after you
have given a concession which has cost you nothing.
By emphasising the benefits of the concession to the other
side, you can imply that since they have won something,
you have lost something and it is now their turn to
reciprocate.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
WIN AT ALL COSTS
Win-at-all-costs is a negotiating strategy that is based on the
belief that you are not responsible for the conflict and
therefore will not budge an inch to the other side. You must
be seen to win.
There are a number of reasons why people feel they have to
win at all costs:
1. they are convinced they are right, so everyone else
must be wrong
2. they equate giving in with weakness
3. they are frightened that their constituents will give
them a hard time if they submit
4. they are in a position of power and fear an opening of
the floodgates if they look weak ("give them an inch...")
5. they are not used to having their views challenged
6. they believe they cannot lose face in the eyes of
themselves and their constituents.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
THE £5 AUCTION
A simple demonstration of win-at-all-costs thinking is the £5
auction game.
A group of people are invited to bid for a £5 note. They are
allowed to bid in steps of 50p starting at 50p itself.
Naturally bidding is brisk up to £4.50 and £5.00, as one
person tries to beat the other. But, more often than not, the
bidding will pass the £5.00 mark and go to £5.50 or even
higher. Winning now matters more than the prize itself.
Only when the "winner" realises that he or she loses money
after the bidding passes £5, do they see the stupidity of
"win-at-all-costs" thinking.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
COMPROMISE
Although the end result of many negotiations is a coming
together of positions and a settlement somewhere in the
middle of extremes, compromise should not be a pre-
planned strategy.
This is because...
1. it encourages a spirit of concession
2. the other side will interpret your concessions as
weakness and try to push you further
3. negotiation is not about trying to be nice to one
another
4. your case may merit better than a compromise; their
case may merit worse.
Compromise is often the outcome of going to third party
mediators whose interest is not in the fairness of the
arguments or who has the greatest power but in getting a
settlement.

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Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
WIN-WIN
Win-win is the only strategy worth pursuing in negotiations.
Just because the other side wins as well as you does not
mean that your gain is any less. Win-win encourages
constructive conflict: the belief that to come out on top
does not only happen by destroying the opposition.
"It is as inappropriate to ask "who's winning?" in a
successful negotiation as it is to ask "who's winning?" in a
successful marriage. The answer, of course, is: we both are.“
Two four-year-old boys were playing soldiers together.
"I want to be leader," said one.
"But I want to be leader," said the second.
"OK. You be the leader in front and I'll be the leader
behind," said the first boy.
"OK," said the second boy.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
WORKING WITH CONFLICT
When you represent others in negotiations, there are three
possible sources of conflict:
1. there is the public conflict between yourself and the
other side
2. there is the semi-public conflict between yourself and
your own side who may want you to be tougher or
softer
3. there is the private conflict you may have with your own
team in how to respond to proposals and offers with
short-term tactics.
This is why the most successful negotiators are invariably
the strongest team who are prepared to support one
another despite what others may do to break them up.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
POWER NEGOTIATIONS
Power negotiations are high-profile negotiations in which
teams of representatives come together to make or re-
negotiate important agreements.
There are 9 identifiable steps in the classic power
negotiation...
1. opening remarks by the chair; aims and hopes
2. side A states its case, its demands, its claims
3. side B responds by arguing its case and claims
4. sides identify areas not in dispute
5. sides discuss disputed areas, with each side trying to win
the other over
6. breakdown due to final positions not being bridgeable
7. search for possible ways forward resulting in
breakthrough
8. hard bargaining over details and implementation
9. agreement.

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Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
POSITIONAL NEGOTIATIONS
Position-taking is the predominant theme in the first half of
formal negotiations. This is where you take up a stand based
on your ideal outcome and refuse to budge. In this period,
your chief objective is to satisfy the demands of your
constituents.
Positional negotiating is characterised as being:
1. entrenched
2. all-or-nothing
3. stubborn
4. argumentative
5. problem-oriented
6. emotional.
Your success in the positional phase depends on how far
you can push the other side back towards your favoured
view before breakdown occurs.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATIONS
Principled negotiations take over once negotiations break
down. Having pushed the other side back as far as they can
go, you now seek some principles on which to base a win-
win agreement. Your chief objective now is to satisfy the
demands of both your side and your opponents.
Principled negotiating is characterised by being:
1. open
2. joint
3. mature
4. rational
5. purposeful
6. solution-oriented
7. imaginative.
Your success at this stage depends on finding a solution that
everyone is happy with.

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Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
THE THREE PHASES
As well as the nine steps of the classic power negotiation,
and the two distinct halves of positional and principled
negotiating, there are three distinct phases in a negotiation.
1. Phase 1 is the opening phase and is more ritual than
substance. It is a time to take up a position, sound out
your opponents, test them and guess what their real
needs are.
2. Phase 2 is the cut-and-thrust phase where you are
jockeying for position and consolidation before the
inevitability of breakdown.
3. Phase 3 is the latter phase where you agree to re-open
talks in order to find a joint solution which will meet
both sides' needs.

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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The Options in Conflict
Influencing and Negotiating Skills
MTL Course Topics
THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn